Holiday Planning :) Forest of Dean Forest Holidays

Last year I was very fortunate - I won a £500 voucher for Forest Holidays.

I decided to book for my mum's birthday for this year so we are going from Monday 11th July until Friday 15th July (my dad is kindly staying with the cats & snakes - he loves his pet sitting duties).

I found out that I could pay extra and take the dog - we were really pleased by this as he is a part of the family (like the cats and the snakes but sadly we cant take them). I also paid a little extra to upgrade our cabin to a hot tub one and to have the entertainment package (Sky movies and wifi).

My niece who is disabled is also coming - she has mobility probs and tires easily but we have a walking frame for her which she manages pretty well with it.

After the voucher I have paid an extra £200 or so on top which covers the extras which I think is pretty reasonable - my mum and niece have both contributed £50 each towards the extras too :)

It's getting pretty close to holiday time now - 44 days until we go! So I have been looking at putting together an itinerary for us - I know some people like to fly by the seat of their pants on holidays but I am a planner and when taking the dog and my niece I do need to make sure that everywhere is accessible and dog friendly for us.

I have spent a bit of time on trip advisor, the hayandwye tourism website and just generally randomly googling the area and have decided on a few things to do.

Day 1.

Leave the diff around 10.30am (to avoid the rush hour traffic - seriously the traffic in and out of Cardiff during the week from around 7,30-9.30 am is horrific maybe not London levels but getting there sometimes!)

My mum and niece fancy a trip to Weston Supermare (even though it's not actually going the same way as us lol)

We should arrive at WSM around 11.45ish - we will then head to a pub called Scally's - we have never been there before but the reviews on it say it has decent food, a large beer garden and is dog friendly. If for some reason this place is not open we have an alternative nearby called The Captain's Cabin (this isnt my first choice due to the mixed reviews on tripadvisor)

After lunch which I am anticipating we will be finished around 1pm we will then have a wander around WSM - my mum wants to visit a jewellery making shop we found last time we were there if it's still open. I quite fancy the 2p machines down the beach front myself!

We will leave here around 2.30- 3pm and head to Forest of Dean - arriving at the Forest Holidays site around 3.45pm - 4.15pm. Check-in is 4pm

We will then check-in, check out the hot tub, give the dog a good long walk.

Around 6pm we will head to a local supermarket and get in some supplies and possible stop for fast food should there be a chain nearby (the dog is partial to a cheese burger from MaccyD's -no sauce, onion or gherkin on his hehe)

We can then headback - put the shopping away - have a turn in the hot tub - walk  the dog, watch a movie and just chill.

Day 2

Breakfast in the cabin :)

A walk in the forest for Jac

Then we will head out to the railway. The Dean Forest railway seems like a  great choice for us - it costs £12 for an all day ticket for the humans and £2 for an all day ticket for Jac :) It has a few different stops where we can get off and have a wander into parks, down the harbour etc before getting back on.

We will find somewhere local for a late lunch

The late afternoon and evening we will see how we feel we might go for a walk or shopping in local shops etc

Day 3

Breakfast in the cabin :)

A walk in the forest for Jac

Pack up the car with a picnic lunch and drinks

Head to the Sculpture Walk - this sounds like its quite a cool thing to do - a gentle walk in the forest trying to spot some hidden sculptures - its free to do which is even better! Parking costs £3.50 and you can use the ticket to park at other local sites too

We will then find a spot for our picnic lunch

Then head to Symonds Yat rock - which has views over the river wye and the forest and is supposed to be really pretty and just happens to be included with the parking charges we would have already paid at the sculpture walk

After we plan to find a dog friendly pub where we can stop in for an evening meal 

Day 4

Breakfast in the cabin :)

A walk in the forest for Jac

We will be looking at doing a boat ride down the river wye - I have found a couple of companies who do tours which allow dogs on board too - we also want to go into haye on wye and have a nosy around the shops. 

We will eat out for lunch and dinner and then hea dback to the cabin for some last hot tub time and to pack up

Day 5

Breakfast in the cabin :)

A walk in the forest for Jac

We will then have to check out at 10am eep

We havent decided if we will drive straight home or if we will have a stop off somewhere on the way back for a few hours - perhaps g to chepstow castle or somewhere similar

So that's my planned schedule for us so far. Hopefully my mum and niece and of course Jac the dog will enjoy it